KINGSVILLE, Tx — Last school year, Kingsville ISD presented a new four-day school week calendarto its students and staff. They are one of 83 districts in Texas to try out the different calendars.
On Thursday morning's State of the District, sponsored by the KISD Education Foundation, Superintendent Dr. Cissy Perez said they have seen benefits to the new schedule.
“We used 1,307 fewer substitute teachers, which means 1,307 fewer absences from our teachers,” Perez said.
That means that teachers are more present with their students and the district also saves money on substitutes.
Student attendance also increased by 2% since the last school year.
President of the KISD Education Foundation Evanita Ramos said the four-day school week can only be done through community efforts.
“The Douglas center provided ballet classes, Cantu Boxing club provided activities, Parks and Rec provided bowling on the base, arts and crafts…” Ramos said.
During the presentation, it was noted that 80% of students the district serves are economically disadvantaged. Director of Kingsville’s Parks and recreation Susan Ivy said the four-day calendar can have a positive effect for those students.
“All of that is an effort to provide healthy, wholesome activities for our community to stay away from drugs, alcohol and bullying,” Ivy said.
The presentation also touched on student achievements, like some student's artwork being shown in the Dallas Museum of Art and several high school seniors earning either atheletic or academic scholarships. The district even had its first-ever state champion in track and field. More than a million dollars were awarded to students in the district, as well as the district having their first ever National Merit Scholar.
Numbers show that KISD also doubled the number of students earning industry-based certificates from 110 last year to 192 this year. In 2021, only 17 students received a certificate. These certificates make sure kids are ready for work and have the opportunity to work right out of high school. The district also introduced a new automotive technology certificate.
The district also tripled the number of students who earned college credit. In the 2022-23 school year, 174 students earned a total of 603 credits. This year, 287 students earned 1,259 credits through Coastal Bend College or Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Three students also earned an associate's degree.
KISD also went through changes this year, including the remodel of their 40 year old track. That remodel is now complete.
With efforts to recognize and support military students and families, KISD was the only district in Region 2 to earn the Purple Star Award at all their campuses. Four of their schools also earned the National Showcase School Award.
But with the many achievements the school has seen through its students, the district continues to face challenges, like fighting the Texas Education Agency (TEA) school rating system that was changed last year. The rating a school receives affects what opportunities students who attend the district can receive. KISD was the first district in Texas to file a lawsuit against TEA, which many other districts followed. Dr. Perez said the fight is still not over.
“It’s been a hard year as far as public education. We’re still unfortunately battling for funding. So most districts across the state are adopting deficit budgets and we hope that that would change,” Perez said.
One thing that won’t be changing, however, is the four-day school week calendar. After feedback from parents and teachers, the district will continue the schedule and hopes to inspire other districts to try it out as well.
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